The first edition of the NGO International Film Festival is confirmed to take place on October 20 – 22, 2021 where at least 20 films, unpacking the global sustainable development agenda will be screened and discussed.
The NGOIFF, the first of its kind will be held virtually on www.thengoiff.com and will aim at creating a platform of storytellers, filmmakers, development experts and other stakeholder to learn and share experiences on documenting and telling stories on sustainable development and how it manifests in people’s through the art of films.
‘’Films have the power to unpack complex concepts in ways that people can easily understand. Over the years, NGOs have been documenting their stories and experiences but most of these films are not widely distributed for other people to learn from. The film festival is created purposely to showcase these films and create opportunities for dialogue’’ – Taye Balogun, Festival Director.
Apart from the film the screening, the organizers also #workshops and #talkshops conversations with some of the world’s creatives, innovators, activists, and campaigners working on SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). They hope to promote a culture of knowledge-sharing and develop a digital media library for future activists, campaigners, and policy makers to support their work.
The film festival attracted a total of 90 films from 150 organizations in 4 continents. In the end, 20 films have been shortlisted for screening at the festival. This selection was done by a jury of 8 reputable and high profiled global experts in diverse areas of the sustainable development goals. These include: Fiona Smyth (Global Policy and Advocacy, Christian Aid), Deborah Dauda (School for Global Inclusion and Social Development (SGISD) at the University of Massachusetts , Boston), Hamzat Lawal (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Mobilizer 2019), Hla Hla Win (Educator, 2019 Schwab Foundation Awardee on Innovation in ICT/Education and CEO 360ed, a virtual augmented Reality e-learning Company), Michael Bronner (BAFTA nominated Screenwriter, Journalist, Producer, and Director), Chidi Anslem Odinkalu (Human Rights Activist, Lawyer, Professor and Writer), Sarika Hemi Lakhani (Producer, One Fine Day Films), and Theron Patterson (Professor, The American University of Rome).
Kumi Naido, a South African global Human and Environmental Rights Activist/ Former Amnesty International Secretary General; and Lance Gould, the former Executive Editor at The Huffington Post and currently the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brooklyn Story Lab (BSL) USA serve as Advisors to the festival and instrumental to the progression of the festival’s objectives.